Frank Mayer and Associates celebrates 90 years

Grafton-based Frank Mayer and Associates has come a long way since it was founded in 1931 when its founder started painting window signs to today having interactive kiosks for international point-of-purchase sales.

President and Chief Operating Officer Michael Mayer, the grandson of Frank Mayer, said the company has experienced growth in the past year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The self-order kiosk market has been growing year after year. With the pandemic, the growth seems to have taken a steeper trajectory,” Mayer said. “We have learned a lot from society.”

In fall, the company unveiled a kiosk that screens employees and visitors through customizable health compliance questions as well as temperature testing.

“We’ve been researching solutions since early April and we were looking for a partner that could meet the demands of our clients,” Senior Vice President of Sales David Anzia said, noting the company partnered with Data Display Engineered Solutions.

Since then, the company has developed kiosks, such as a contactless wrist temperature kiosk, Department of Motor Vehicles kiosks,  HassleLess Mattress self-service kiosks, food and beverage kiosks for the Jacksonville Jaguars and kiosks for the financial sector.

“The less interaction people have, the safer they probably feel. The interactive market has many different sectors that are rapidly growing,” Mayer said.

Mayer said it’s critical to listen to clients to help market their products and provide a new experience for consumers. Some of the companies Mayer and Associates has worked with include Nintendo, Lego, Garmin, General Electric and Macy’s.

“Whether it’s a kiosk or a static display, the brands are competing for that space at retail,” Mayer said. “As a consumer, you are seeing a myriad of units and the question becomes, ‘What is the experience the consumer is going to interact with at the kiosk display that will create, in their mind, the decision to buy the product versus the competitive product?’”

Director of Marketing Cheryl Lesniak said it’s important for the company’s production team to stay at the forefront of new technology, such as virtual and augmented reality and digital facial recognition, in order to incorporate more opportunities for consumers.

“A lot of that technology is already in this building. Sometimes before our clients can even ask us for it, we’re already showing them that technology,” she said. “We’re not afraid to take a chance by showing a client something they’ve never seen before because we may be the first to take it to market in a display.”

The company has come a long way since Mayer’s grandfather founded it in Milwaukee using silk-screen presses to provide graphic items for local beer producers like Miller Brewing, Schlitz and Pabst.

In 1964, the company broke ground at its current location at 1975 Wisconsin Ave. in Grafton.

Mayer credits his father Frank for transitioning the company from a local to national market when he took over in 1980 at the beginning of the electronic-interactive age.

“It was a challenge at first because it was new to us, but as we looked at it we were able to determine how we could do it and provide quality for our clients,” he said. “When my grandfather started the business, he kept looking to grow and evolve. That has been something we clearly looked at through each generation for this company.”

Mayer said it’s rewarding to see his grandfather’s business be a prominent player in the point-of-purchase industry and believes the future of the company will remain in the family, as his son Michael is a production coordinator.

“It’s been an extreme accomplishment, especially when you start talking about family businesses making it through the third generation. It’s a testament to all the individuals who have worked at the company both past and present to help get us where we are today,” Mayer said.